Yale Wins Three of Four at Brandeis Invitational

Dec 07, 2008

Dec. 7, 2008

WALTHAM, Mass. -
The Yale women's fencing team posted successful results at this weekend's Brandeis Invitational. The team was victorious against Boston College, Brandeis and MIT, but failed to win against St. John's. It was however a successful tournament according to captain Lidia Gocheva, who did not compete because of a back injury.

Gocheva noted, "This was a successful tournament and a good start of the season for the women's team."

She singled out the success of foilist Katherine Pitt, who only lost one bout. She also noted the epee squad's impressive victory against MIT (8-1) as another highlight of the tournament.

"The general atmosphere on the team is very positive," she remarked. "The girls are helping each other and working together. I am looking forward to the rest of the season." The Brandeis Invitational was the first team competition of the season for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs captured a very narrow victory against home-team Brandeis. Senior Abigail Fraeman described the scene:

"We performed very well, especially in our exciting 14-13 win against Brandeis. We knew it was close and that we would have to fight for every bout, and the team really came together and pulled through. We all cheered for one another, and everyone's supportive energy really helped us concentrate and get the touches we needed to win."

She went on to say, "Our freshman all performed wonderfully, and never let their nerves control their bouts. Overall, we meet my expectations for how well the team could do, and I'm really looking forward to see how we'll improve in our next competition!